


Giving Chase

by gonnaflynow



Series: Eruri Week 2013 [6]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Developing Relationship, Eruri Week, M/M, Origin Story, chase sequence, eruri - Freeform, goddamn it Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-28
Updated: 2013-12-28
Packaged: 2018-01-06 12:15:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1106698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gonnaflynow/pseuds/gonnaflynow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Wings of Freedom belonged on Levi's back, this Erwin knew. He had to make him his.</p><p>Day Six - Origins</p>
            </blockquote>





	Giving Chase

The moment Erwin saw Levi flying through the tunnels of the Underground, cloak billowing around him, he knew he had to make him his. The uncanny grace held in that small stature immediately captured his interest — his aura was unbefitting of a common thug — and Erwin felt deep in his chest that he wouldn't be able to rest until he found him. 

The next few weeks were spent collecting information on the activities of Levi's gang, though information was few and far between and only trustworthy about half the time. He even made a point to request his file from Nile, which was handed over with a scoff and the unspoken implication that if the Military Police couldn't catch him, there was no way a lone soldier would be able to come close.

A few days later, Mike came to him with a new piece of intel: Levi and two of his subordinates were set to move in three days on a transport operation. 

"Will they have their gear on them?" Erwin asked, his head in a spin. 

"Most likely," Mike sniffed. "They'll probably begin somewhere around the northern end of the city, which means they'll fly directly over the downtown area. We should be able to give them a good run for their money." He smirked at the gleam in Erwin's eyes, fingers drumming lightly on the right handle of his gear.  

"Pick two of your best," Erwin nodded thoughtfully. "We'll probably need them."

\-------- 

"Need them" was the understatement of the century. Despite the team's fantastic hiding place, Levi's gang was onto them quicker than a pack of titans to a group of soldiers, diving down into the frightened crowd to throw off their pursuers. Mike sniffed the air with a knowing smile as Erwin tore ahead of him, hot in pursuit. 

Once out from the underpass, Levi zipped straight for the massive supporting pillar in the middle of the cavern, subordinates close on his heels. The small man careened around the post in a tight arc, sunken eyes surveying the team fifty yards behind him. His eyes widened a tiny fraction, incredulity gripping him for a moment as blue and white wings sailed into his vision and a pair of icy blue eyes burned into his own. 

He grimaced and shot off towards the southern rooftops, feeling as if he had been marked. 

Erwin resisted the urge to let out a whoop. He hadn't felt so alive in years, the Wings of Freedom rippling on his back as he gave chase to the man who haunted his dreams. 

Levi took a steep plummet into a narrow alley, grey cloak blending into the stagnant water below as he danced through its obstacle course.

"Mike," Erwin boomed. "Head him off on the other side. Send your men after the other two."

"And you?"

"Don't worry," he grinned. "I have a plan."

The moment Levi moved out into the open, Mike was on him, pinning him with the full force of his weight coming off a sharp dive with his gear. The moment the pair hit the ground, a ferocious look overtook Levi's impassive features, a snarl ripping past his lips as he flipped out of Mike's grasp and threw him to the ground.

The small man paused, breathing heavily – if one leader made his way here, the other was surely not far behind. As soon as the thought passed his mind, a torpedo of green came at him like a missile, severing the cord to his gear latched onto a building. Levi hung in suspension, cursing foully under his breath as time resumed and he was sent careening into the ground head-first.

The man landed lightly on the ground behind him, boots tapping softly on the dirt as he descended, and began to approach Levi.

"Did you finish him off, Erwin?" demanded an insistent bass from further away.

"Not yet…" Erwin trailed off, assessing the pile of unmoving flesh and cloth before him. Through the folds of the cloak, he saw the telltale tensing of neck and shoulderblades.

He knew exactly what was going to come next.

Within moments the man had sprung from the ground and lunged for Erwin's throat, thin metal lockpick in hand. Erwin threw up the flat of his blade to defend himself, but the sharp tool caught its edge and the weapon was sent spinning through the air with a wrench of Levi's wrist, clattering to the ground a few meters away.

"Stop right there!" cried Mike, dashing between Erwin and Levi and drawing his own blades. Levi's pupils constricted, intent to attack clear on his face. He lashed out with the pick but was stopped by the edge of Mike's blade.

"Take a look around you!" the man exclaimed, and then it hit Levi that for the first time in his life in the underground, he might really be cornered.

"Let go of me—!!" screamed a familiar female voice to his left. When he dared to look, his worst fears were confirmed: Isabel and Farlan were held captive in the hands of the other two Scouting Legion soldiers, undecided on whether to put up a fight or wait for their chance.

"Squad leader, are you all right?!" yelled the female soldier, tightening her grip on Isabel's thin wrists.

"I'm fine," Erwin called, wiping at the blood on his chin from the nick of the blade. "You both did your work well."

Erwin now turned to Levi, a practiced mask on his face.

"Let me ask you a few questions," he said, reaching to pry the handle mechanism free from Levi's hand, the small pale fingers clamped tightly around it as if it was the last precious thing he owned. "Where did you get this from?"

All three gang members now kneeled in front of him, hands behind their backs. They stared  forward resolutely, schooling their features to give nothing away.

"Your control of the 3D Maneuver Gear was also impressive," Erwin tried again. "Who taught you that?" His subordinates refused to give him anything, but Levi's eyes began to darken in anger, mouth pressing into a thin line.

"You're the leader, correct?" said Erwin, stepping up to Levi with a flutter in his chest concealed with a cold expression. "Did you ever receive training as a soldier?" The shorter man glared at him from under his bangs, a murderous look in his hollow eyes. Erwin chuckled softly.

"Your face seems to say that you're planning to kill me somehow and escape," he deduced, eyebrows raising in a challenge. "If possible, I'd like to avoid having to use any violence. However…" he trailed off, giving Mike a knowing look. The taller man lunged forward and yanked a handful of black hair, his big hand nearly encompassing Levi's entire head, and shoved him down into the murky water with an audible thunk. He had the attention of his partners now, their faces wide-eyed in shock.

"I'll ask you again," said Erwin, voice quiet and eyes deadly serious. He strode forward to use his height to his advantage, towering over the dirty bundle in the water. "Where did you learn how to use that gear?" Levi's eyes began to narrow dangerously, his mouth downturning in a vicious snarl. Erwin met him halfway, blue eyes boring into their target with all the authority he could muster.

"Nobody taught us how!" shrieked Isabel. "You're just a public servant… don't act like some kind of big shot!"

"We learned to do it so we can survive in this wasteland," said Farlan, eyes creasing in resentment. "Someone who's never even tasted sewer water like you wouldn't understand." Erwin glanced to the side, eyeing the underlings with disinterest.

"My name is Erwin Smith," he said, eyes flashing. "What's yours?" When Levi refused to answer, Mike slammed his head back into the water, submerging it for a few tense moments before wrenching it upward. Levi coughed and spluttered, ferocity overtaking his features, but still refused to speak.

"Your willpower is admirable," said Erwin, eyes narrowing in surprise and a touch of irritation. "At this rate, I'll have to turn to your friends."

Mike tugged Levi's head to the left. The other two Scouting Legion soldiers stood behind Farlan and Isabel, blades held to their throats, hands tensed to move on command.

"If you're going to do it, then do it quickly!" spat Isabel, fear trembling in her blue eyes as she looked to Levi for a way out. 

Levi had nothing.

"You  _bastard_ ," he muttered, rage contorting his features.

" _What's your name?_ " Erwin boomed.

The crease between Levi's eyes softened as he ground his teeth together in defeat.

"…it's Levi."

A soft smile broke through Erwin's mask of composure.

"Levi," he said, tasting the name on his tongue. He closed the distance between them, kneeling down to his level. The sewer water flooded his boots, but he just sunk lower, looking directly into Levi's eyes. The smaller man's anger fell away as he regarded Erwin, confusion and a touch of relief taking its place.

"Won't you make a deal with me?"

"A deal…?" said Levi hesitantly, as if this might have been another trick.

"We won't charge you with anything," Erwin clarified. "In return, I want you to give us a hand and join the Survey Corps." He paused to let the information sink in, eyes swimming across Levi's face and reading his every thought.

"What if I refuse?" he said, some of the earlier boldness creeping into his voice. Erwin stood, expecting nothing less.

"We'll hand you over to the Military Police," he said simply, impassive mask slipping back into place. "If you think about all you've done until now, you and your friends wouldn't want to end up with them, would you?"

Truth be told, Erwin was bluffing. The Military Police file had many half-completed reports on the supposed activities of Levi's gang, some of which he suspected had been forged entirely, but it was clear that the MP certainly wouldn't turn them down if they showed up on their doorstep.

Levi glanced to Isabel and Farlan, a question in his eyes. The blades of the scouts were still held to their throats in an unspoken threat. Isabel had adopted a brave scowl, snarling up at Erwin in much the same manner as Levi, but Farlan was surprisingly subdued. He caught Levi's eyes and swallowed, his opinion clear.

Levi stared at Farlan open-mouthed, as if willing him to change his mind, but he knew he had been trapped. A corner of his mouth curled up in resignation.

"Alright," said Levi. "I'll join the Survey Corps." 

Erwin's heart soared like the wings on his back.

**Author's Note:**

> So this turned out completely differently (and more poorly T_T) than I'd imagined, somewhat due to the fact that I felt so bad getting it out late but mostly because I just found the first three chapters of the Choice With No Regrets visual novel which got me to reinterpret my views on Levi and Erwin's canon relationship, as well as some of Erwin's motivations and personality points. I have this weird quirk where I don't like to assume things with my writing – I want to make sure it's as close to the original plot and characters as possible, but right now we have huge gaps in Levi and Erwin's backstory which make it really hard to write for a prompt like this. Today was originally going to be about how Levi and Erwin's relationship progressed (like from _wow I hate you so much I'm gonna kick your fuckin' ass_ into _holy shit you're the best thing to happen to me let's bang_ ), but then I realized how much information was missing and backed off. Hope you enjoyed it anyway, and now I can get to work on Reincarnation, which is gonna be a real doozy that I hope you all will enjoy.


End file.
